Orion 110mm f7 ed refractor

[Aceman1972]

Hi all

I'm looking at purchasing a Orion 110mm f7 ed refractor second hand.
Want to use for deepsky & planetary imagining.
Can anyone give pros & cons on this scope
Wether it is worth buying?
Thank you

[skysurfer]

This is a very good scope.
It is the same Chinese scope from Kunming as I have.

http://skysurfer.eu/AP110.php

It is a nice travel scope and took it with me on my last South Africa trip and now I have it with me in New Zealand but not used yet due to cloudy and rainy weather.

[Aceman1972]

Hi Skysurfer

Thank you for your thoughts

[xelasnave]

Buy it.
It won't be your last scope get the scope accumulation started.
You will always want a better scope but you have made a good choice.
Buy it.
Life is to short and there is not all that opportunity to view so get started.
Next post tell us you have it.
Alex

[Aceman1972]

Hi Xelasnave

Thanks mate for feedback

I will try to purchase😀

[xelasnave]

It will be a thing of joy.
You can't believe how nice just to look at it all set up.
You can sit and look it for ages.
You get to polish it here or there, look at ever part close up.
Then you finally take it out and you find yourself exploring the Moon.
And you get to work into the conversation with the check out girl that you are into astronomy and she tells you she is a Capricorn on the cusp.
Alex

[Aceman1972]

😂

Very funny!!

[traveller]

If it's the one on Ebay, then it's a good buy.
It's a doublet but a very good doublet. Same sized triplets will cost you 30% more. You get what you pay for in this game.
This is an older review of the scope http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/user-reviews/user-review-orion-premium-110mm-ed-refractor-r2383
You need to have a good mount if you want to do deep sky imaging, an EQ6 or similar, plus other accessories as well. For planetary work you will need a barlow as the image scale will be quite small on a 770mm FL.
Cheers
Bo

[Aceman1972]

Hi Traveller

Yes it's the one on eBay
I have. HEQ5pro mount
I have read some info regarding make scope lighter by changing the tube rings
I will check link out

Thank you

[traveller]

Check the optics to make sure there are no visible damage etc. A quick star test at night if the seller allows for it (he should).
HEQ5 is capable, but don't forget you need to add more gear such as a guide scope, camera etc on the mount.
Good luck with the purchase.
Bo

[MortonH]

There is a little CA in these scopes so they're better suited to visual than imaging. Be prepared to spend time removing CA in processing.

[skysurfer]

Negligible.
I have made prime-focus pics without any noticeable CA. If you are really a pixelpeeper, then buy a Tak FSQ-106.

[Aceman1972]

Thank you all for your thoughts
I think for the price I can purchase this scope it should be a good investment for time being.

I was going to save up & purchase a Vixen ed 103s but need about $2500 for its.
So I guess do I just save cash for vixen which would take me about 12 months to save or do I just spend say $800 on the Orion.

Thoughts

Thanks

[traveller]

I think you answered your own question. Also, I am fairly certain the vixen is also a doublet and has a slower focal ratio.
Bo

[Aceman1972]

Cheers
Just wanted to ask the universe of people out there

😀
Thank you everyone that has responded
👍

[MortonH]

I don't do imaging and am therefore not a pixel peeper. My comments about CA come from reading many posts over the years from people imaging with ED doublets that use FPL-51 or equivalent in the lens.

Maybe yours is colour free but the general consensus out there is that most 110ED scopes have a bit of CA, so it's reasonable to warn the OP that this is a possibility.

It's also a bit silly to suggest you need to jump to a Tak FSQ when there are plenty of cheaper triplets on the market these days.


With regard to the particular scope in question on ebay, having just looked at the photos in the listing it seems the focuser has an unusual orange discolouration. The description also says condition as per photos, so the seller isn't exactly promising great performance. And the price is arguably a bit too good.

If I was considering it I'd ask some detailed questions through the ebay messaging system and pay by Paypal for protection just in case there are any problems.

[Aceman1972]

Thank you for your information
I have decided not to purchase scope
Family commitments arouse this morning so could not go ahead with purchase
I will save my money for another scope
Cheers